In respect of Senator Mullen’s question about the public interest, the Constitution delegates the administration of justice to the courts. As the Senator knows, they are not remote entities. The courts have to assess what is in the public interest quite frequently in terms of rulings that come before them and judgments they have to give. They have to do it in the context of privacy and defamation as well. In the case of Nolan v . Sunday Newspapers Limited, it was suggested by the defendant that it was in the public…

I will start by stating that in order for this section 26 defence to succeed, there is a requirement that the statement in respect of which an action is brought must relate to a matter of public interest. There is also a requirement that the defendant reasonably believes that publishing the statement is in the public interest and that this is done in good faith. These are all necessary requirements before we even get to consideration of subsection (3), which the Senators' amendment seeks to remove. Senator Mullen a…

I also commend Margaret Loftus on her courage in coming forward in public and on securing a conviction, which is a very significant achievement that she achieved. We also need to recognise that Margaret Loftus commended the investigating gardaí. There has now been a conviction. Once a member of An Garda Síochána is convicted of a criminal offence, there is a process under the Garda conduct regulations, which will be a matter initiated by the Commissioner. I have no doubt that those conduct regulations will deal wit…

I thank the Deputy for the question. I acknowledge his work in this area in respect of the publication by him of the Bill in 2017. His question is opportune. When I came into office, one of the issues I wanted to expedite was "disregard legislation", as it is referred to. The information I got back was that a lengthy process was ongoing in respect of the preparation of a Bill. I am pleased to say I have managed to expedite that process. I will bring forward an amendment, hopefully in March, to the Criminal Law and …

I am satisfied that An Garda Síochána now takes seriously complaints of domestic violence. I am concerned about the detail provided by the brave Margaret Loftus in respect of how she was concerned that her complaint was not initially taken seriously. However, I recognise that she acknowledges the excellent work done by the investigating gardaí, who got her case and then pursued it relentlessly. In particular, the garda involved in that is the current Commissioner, Justin Kelly. I acknowledge her concerns, but I hav…

-----extremely seriously.

The purpose of the live broadcast defence, which is dealt with in section 13, is to try to protect live broadcasting. Everyone involved in politics will know that there is a great advantage to the public at large in there being live broadcasting. It is vital during elections and it is vital during other issues of great public concern. I want to try to ensure that we have a provision within the legislation that facilitates the continuation of live broadcasting. The section that has been drafted and that was approved…

I thank the Deputy for his question. He is incorrect to say this Government has it in for disabled people and carers. That is simply incorrect, and his categorisation of what happened in the budget is not accurate. In terms of what he states about tax bills, the laws in respect of taxation of carers have not changed whatsoever. A letter was sent out by the Revenue Commissioners in November 2025, but the law itself has not changed. The law now is the same as it was prior to the letters going out in November. This Go…

I thank Deputy McGrath for his question. Like every other Deputy in the House, the one demand he wants to see met is to see more gardaí in his constituency. I know everyone in this House wants to see the same. That is a good reflection on An Garda Síochána. The Deputy will know that the number of gardaí in Cork city increased significantly after the most recent attestation in Templemore. I am pleased to see positive reports on the presence of gardaí in Cork over the Christmas period. I will discuss with the Garda C…

I thank the Senator for his amendment, which we also discussed on Committee Stage. I want to provide a statutory mechanism for people to apply in the Circuit Court. I think the Circuit Court is cheaper and it is an appropriate mechanism for the purpose of granting an identification order. I have to say to the Senator that nothing that I do in this statute is going to interfere with the jurisdiction of the High Court. The existing powers of the High Court will not be affected by this section in the Bill. For that re…

Again, the Deputy wants to see more gardaí in his constituency. I do not get involved in directing the Commissioner as to where I think he should send gardaí. That would be far too political. What I say to the Commissioner, and it is something he agrees with, is that I want to see high-visibility policing. That means high-visibility policing not just in our urban areas and cities such as Dublin, Cork and Limerick, but throughout the country. When it comes to rural constituencies like the Deputy's constituency, it i…

I thank Senator McDowell for the amendment and his contribution. We had an extensive discussion about this on Committee Stage. In terms of costs following the event, what the means is that generally the winner of a court dispute is granted their costs on a party and party basis. However, that is a difficult rule to apply in circumstances where there is an application which is not an inter partes application. In fact, it is a non-party application. I used the example previously of where there could be two parties in…

I thank Senators McDowell and Craughwell for their amendment. In respect of the point raised by Senator McDowell, if I can refer to the example I referred to in the previous amendment about discovery, sometimes individuals get discovery of documents in proceedings because they are necessary and relevant to the proceedings. The individual can only use those discovered documents, whether they are from another party or a non-party, for the purpose of the litigation. There is an implicit undertaking given by an individ…

A solicitor can say they got an identification order from the Supreme Court. They could say, "This is the document that was produced from X on foot of the identification order". That is sufficient proof of the identification order.

I would have thought so.

I thank Deputy Timmins for that question. It is important that we acknowledge that reference in a very prestigious magazine such as The Economist that Ireland is the second most successful economy in the world. It also has to be acknowledged that did not happen by chance. It happened because of political decisions made by previous Governments in this country to adapt our economy in such a way that it attracts outside investment while at the same time supporting indigenous industry in the country. Sometimes listenin…

I thank the Deputy for his question. Obviously, I agree with him about Garda visibility. That is not happening by accident; it is happening because we are getting the number in An Garda Síochána up and a decision has been made by Government, and implemented by the Commissioner, to have high-visibility policing. I am very pleased to hear there is apparent visibility of gardaí in Rathcoole and Saggart. As I said to Deputy Murphy, the plan is to try to roll it out throughout the country. The Deputy also mentioned yout…

I thank the Deputy. I am aware from my constituency, and throughout the country, the stress it can put on a parent of a child with special needs in terms of trying to get the child admitted into a school, whether primary or secondary. I understand the Minister of State, Deputy Moynihan, dealt with these issues last week. There were reasons deadlines were put in place. It was to give people some level of certainty. However, my understanding is that applications are now being dealt with on a case-by-case basis. I wil…

I thank Deputy Kenny for his question. I am not aware of the full details he has outlined. I am aware it is an issue that is being considered by Government. I am conscious that what the Deputy said happened did happen at the Committee of Public Accounts when there was an examination of the report. The report provides a detailed assessment of governance and control weaknesses within the IFI over the period 2019 to 2023. The Government believes that the C and AG findings are entirely unacceptable and it is appropriat…

I thank Deputy Whitmore for her question. Like her, I also had the pleasure of meeting the women from the Wexford Rape Crisis Centre when the Ceann Comhairle invited them to the Dáil a number of months ago. I will raise within the Department the fact that there is not a rape crisis centre in Wicklow. Obviously, the Department does not directly employ individuals and put rape crisis centres into counties. We are very much dependent upon the courage and diligence of volunteers who come forward and start it as a volun…